This Fraudulent 911 Call Ended in an Man's Paralysis

Remember this case from Alabama in 2016? White neighbor called the police saying a suspicious Black man was wandering the neighborhood. Cop arrives, the man doesn't understand English, so cop beats him down and causes paralysis. This officer was acquitted. The court found that he was within his rights to investigate a call.

No consequence for the officer, and certainly no consequence for the caller.

Parker, 27, still faces a civil lawsuit in connection with the incident. Parker encountered Patel lastFeb. 6 while responding to a call of a suspicious black man looking at garages and walking near houses. Patel, in from India to visit his son and grandson, testified that he did not understand English or the officers who confronted him while he was out for a walk.

In her 92-­page ruling Jan. 13 granting a defense motion for acquittal, Haikala wrote that it was reasonable for Parker to have investigated Patel on the basis of the 911 call and that slow-­motion clips from the dashcam showed Patel had resisted Parker before the take­down.

Last month, Madison Police Chief Larry Muncey was found guilty of federal criminal contempt charges in connection with Parker’s first trial. Muncey, who is on administrative leave pending the outcome of any appeals, violated a sequestration order that prohibits witnesses from hearing testimony of others called to the stand.

Muncey was ordered to pay a $2,500 fine and attend training for legal exposure and liability.